While Anzac Day celebrations wind down in the rest of the country, the Western Australian town of Albany is gearing up to commemorate the centenary of the first Australian troops heading off to WWI.

On November 1 this year, more than 30,000 people are expected to head to the South Coast town to commemorate 100 years since the first Australian Anzac troops left Australia to go and fight on the shores of Gallipoli.

It will precede wider commemorations to be held next April 25 to mark the centenary of those troops arriving at Anzac Cove.

as94-year-old veteran Harry Brutnall is the last of the wartime 'hard hat' navy clearance divers in Australia, but his memory is vivid of his work in Sydney and Darwin harbours recovering bodies and debris after Japanese invasion. Read more about Harry's story here as he remembers fallen mates on Anzac Day in Ravenshoe.